• Journal of Biosystems Engineering
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• v.40 no.4
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• pp.409-416
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• 2015

Purpose: This study evaluates a new banana bulk packaging method under the real transport conditions of Sri Lanka. Methods: A field evaluation of optimized 8-mm thick Styrofoam sheets used as the cushioning material was applied. A trial transport was conducted from Thambuttegama to Colombo using a medium-sized open truck, with banana leaves as the control material. Data were recorded at the farmer, transporter, retailer, and consumer stages of the supply chain. Mechanical damage, physiological loss in weight, fruit firmness, total soluble solids, ripeness index, visual quality ratings, and the physical damage index of the bananas were measured at each stage. A cost-benefit analysis was also conducted for both packaging methods. Results: The 8-mm styrofoam sheets significantly reduced (p < 0.05) the mechanical damage from 26.3% to 12.9% compared to the conventional method for long-distance transport, and the physiological loss in weight showed a decrease of 2.88%. The loss of firmness of the fruits followed a simmilar pattern for both methods until reaching the retailer, but at the consumer was significantly higher (p < 0.05) for the control. However, the physical damage index at the retail stage for the control showed symptoms of physical injury, whereas the bananas transported using the cushioning materials exhibited only minor symptoms. Further, the visual quality of the fruits after transport from the farmer to the consumer was preserved, which is one of the main factors affecting consumer preference and retail price. The proposed method increases the profit margin by 51.2% for Embul bananas owing to the reduced postharvest losses. Conclusion: The 8-mm thick Styrofoam sheets reduced the physical damage to the bananas, with the quality parameters maintained at the prefered level. Moreover, profits may be increased.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.18 no.11
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• pp.416-429
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• 2018

Typhoons and floods are natural disasters that occur frequently, and the damage resulting from these disasters must be in advance predicted to establish appropriate responses. Direct damages such as building collapse, human casualties, and loss of farms and fields have more attention from people than indirect damages such as increase of consumer prices. But indirect damages also need to be considered for living. The agricultural products are typical consumer items affected by typhoons and floods. Sudden, powerful typhoons are mostly accompanied by heavy rains and damage agricultural products; this increases the retail price of such products. This study analyzes the influence of natural disasters on the price of agricultural products by using a deep learning algorithm. We decided rice, onion, green onion, spinach, and zucchini as target agricultural products, and used data on variables that influence the price of agricultural products to create a model that predicts the price of agricultural products. The result shows that the model's accuracy was about 0.069 measured by RMSE, which means that it could explain the changes in agricultural product prices. The accurate prediction on the price of agricultural products can be utilized by the government to respond natural disasters by controling amount of supplying agricultural products.

• CRM연구
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• v.1 no.1
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• pp.23-48
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• 2006

Internet B2C marketplace such as 'Auction', 'G Market', 'Daum onket' etc.(called open market) has grown sharply in sales about yearly 100% rate increase in recent 1-2 years in Korea. Although Open marketplace has much reputation and the customer loyalty, almost of merchants participated in open market, which size in sales are medium/small, has poor reputation and trust. Consumers, who have to get in touch with untrustworthy merchants for trade in openmarket, perceive high trade risk which undergo the monetary damages such as 'merchandise never received'. This examines what factors consumer trust develop in online marketplace. This study explores several perceived risk factors in an open market by factor analysis and multi-regression to prove the relationships between the degree of trust for the merchants and the perceived trade risk. 133 data collected from the open market user data in this survey. In this study, the consumer's trade satisfaction in open market is low by 4.2 point degree of 7 point likert scale. and perceives 4 trade risk factors such as (1) 'failure to honor warranty or guarantee' (2) 'defective/poor goods in quality' (3) 'merchandise never received or received late' (4) 'poor information'. the degree of merchant's trust has significant relationship with the degree of perceived risk(sig. = 0.0000, $R^2=.327$) We find that the open market has to enhance the relationship marketing of trust by developing the strategies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Food Culture
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• v.12 no.5
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• pp.477-493
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• 1997

The consumers' purchase experiences of some imported agricultural products (rice, sesame, garlic, onion, jujube, red pepper, oak mushroom, apple, dried persimmon) and their consciousness for the labelling of the country of origin for agricultural products in Youngnam region were examined in this study. The sample consisted of 438 women who lived in Taegu, Pusan and other cities of Kyungpook and Kyungnam, and the self-administered questionnaire for the survey was used. The main reasons to purchase the imported agricultural products were the wide distribution and low price of them. Most of the consumers were concerned about safety of the imported agricultural products but only a few people experienced unsatisfaction of the products. The price, quality, package, container, label, and safety of the examined products were evaluated worse than those of the domestic products. Generally, although they suffered unsatisfaction, the consumers did not complain because they wanted to avoid troublesome work, which means the consumers did not assert their rights. Some people did not know the labelling system for the country of origin and the place to charge the market violating it. Therefore, it will be necessary for the consumers to receive education about the labelling system for the country of origin and the compensation criteria for consumers' grievances and damages. The current labelling method for the country of origin generally met the consumers' preference but the consumers wanted to improve the position and color of the label. Most consumers could not differentiate the imported products from the domestic products. The results obtained from the survey suggest consumer education for the labelling system for the country of origin and the compensation criteria should be activated through various ways such as mass media and consumer organizations.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.40
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• pp.3-30
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• 2008

This article attempts to describe and analyze the rules on the buyer's remedies for lack of conformity under PELS. It shows that such remedies under the PELS operate in a two-tier remedial scheme which is alien to both domestic and international legal systems. That is, repair and replacement take the position of primary remedy, whereas termination, price reduction and damages are secondary remedies which are available only where the primary remedies cannot be invoked. Notwithstanding its superiority, the PELS have some drawbacks in several aspects. First, the PELS seems to place its focus on the factor of cost except the other factors, for instance, the significance of the lack of conformity, when one decides whether the first tier remedies cause the seller unreasonable effort or expense. It is argued that the factors can be considered by referring to art. 1:302 PECL. Second, the PELS does not expressively provide any exclusion of the seller's right to choose between repair or replacement on the basis of unreasonable uncertainty in reimbursing the expenses advanced by the buyer. It argues that if there is such uncertainty, it should be regarded as causing the buyer an unreasonable inconvenience under art. 4:204(1). Third, the PELS does not seem to properly reflect the consumer's interests in that most consumers prefer to have the absolute right of termination as against the commercial sellers who have a relatively stronger bargaining position. The reasons for that is that there is a big hurdle, i.e., a hierarchy of remedies, to be overcome by the consumer to battle with the commercial seller, and that unavoidable vagueness in defining a minor lack of conformity has been often used against the consumer, but in favour of the commercial seller with a strong bargaining position.

• The Journal of the Convergence on Culture Technology
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• v.10 no.1
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• pp.137-142
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• 2024

User interface (UI) functions are distorted and appear as a dark pattern that intentionally deceives or entices users. Consumers who are unaware of dark patterns are constrained in their choices, resulting in unnecessary economic damage. In this study, we aimed to investigate consumers' various shopping emotions and behavioral intentions after recognizing dark patterns in online shopping malls through qualitative research methods. As a result of the study, the rate of perception differed slightly depending on the type of dark pattern, and it was found that it induced consumer emotions such as distrust of the company, user deception, and displeasure. It has been found that the behavior after recognizing the dark pattern shows passive behaviors such as vowing to prevent recurrence and warning acquaintances rather than actively protesting to the company and demanding compensation for damages.

• Journal of the Korea Furniture Society
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• v.12 no.1
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• pp.131-142
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• 2001

Cultural needs of human have grown enormously. Consumer trend and individual taste have become more individualistic and diversified. Efforts to improve the quality of life have changed the concept of lift space as well as the concept of interior life supplies. Products are no longer standardized and produced in massive scale, thus a shift of value has risen. Damages done by the economical development have made consumers take interests in products that are more natural and in harmony with human beings. It is a tendency that wooden materials are becoming a preference as a specific alternative. There is a great social change with a new paradigm like this. Considering the change, we propose a new vision and activation plan on design development of wooden products through specific and practical studies by the system of educational and industrial cooperation which is an organic association system for developing human resources of educational system and producing profits of industry. From it, we can expect great effects as a competitive design of coming future.

• Journal of Korean Institute of Industrial Engineers
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• v.26 no.3
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• pp.265-282
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• 2000

Despite manufacturers' effort to provide safe and reliable products, a number of product-related accidents occur all over the world resulting in much damage to property, personal injury and even loss of life. Considerable evidence indicates that some accidents arise from user negligence, but most are due to the design, manufacture, and distribution of unreasonably dangerous products when compared to their use. As a result, a tremendous number of product liability lawsuits have been filed, many times causing huge amount of financial damages to manufacturers. Furthermore, with increasing government regulation and growing power of consumer lobbies, manufacturers might be more exposed to product liability claims in the future than now. The objectives of this study are twofold: to provide a framework of future research on product liability and safety and to introduce a product safety policy. To accomplish these objectives, previous studies on product liability and safety were reviewed thoroughly. The product safety policy consists of two parts: (1) an engineering design strategy for reducing product-related risks and (2) a management program for a product liability loss prevention plan. The policy is essential to preventing manufacturers' liability exposure as well as designing a safer product.

• Journal of the Korea Safety Management & Science
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.109-120
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• 2005

A company is liable for its products and has the responsibility to make good on any loss or damage incurred by the user of its product. The purpose of the Product Liability Act(PLA) is to protect consumers against damage caused by defective products, and contribute to the safety of the citizen's life and the sound development of the national economy by regulating the liability of manufacturers, etc. for damages caused by the defectiveness of their products. In this study, the cognition levels of consumers and producers for PLA were surveyed. The cognition levels of four factors of acknowledgement, comprehension, necessity and impact for PLA were assessed. The results were as follows : i) Acknowledgement and comprehension levels of consumer were assessed low but they assessed necessity and impact of PLA high; ii) Producers assessed necessity and impact of PLA higher than their acknowledgement and comprehension levels; iii) Overall cognition levels of producers were higher than those of consumers.

• The Journal of the Korea Contents Association
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• v.9 no.12
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• pp.787-796
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• 2009

The electronic commerce keeps going through a tremendous growth since the latter half of 1990's. But the consumer damages are being increased from characteristics such as non-confrontation, anonymity, internationality, unilaterality and possibility of temptation. Accordingly, this thesis has derived legal and systematic improvements for consumer protection in general as follows. First of all, it is necessary to extend the period to exercise the subscription withdrawal rights according to electronic commerce consumer protection law. Second, the electronic commerce has high possibility of causing errors by consumers because it is performed by non-confrontation and the accurate information must be provided to prevent errors in advance because it is not easy for consumers to prove their own errors. Third, a certification mark system on electronic agreement has to be adopted. Fourth, the legal, systematic and technological measures have to be adopted to prevent from having a sense of fear toward leaking or using personal information through a safe personal information management. Fifth, a strict supervision on internet trust mark is required. Finally, because the intervention or interference by a third party may take place through a hacking on messages or documents sent according to procedure in terms of online settlement, it is necessary to raise security on the system through a precise authentication between concerned parties.